In July 2001 the then Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs removed Australian woman Vivien Solon to the Phillipines. It only became public knowledge in 2005, two years after officials realised their mistake. In July 2003 Solon's family had listed her as a missing person.

In 2015 Melbourne residents turned out in force to protest after the then new Border Force agency released a statement saying it would have officers stationed around the city checking "any individual we cross paths with".